Double Exposure
by margroks
Summary: Clark Kent is exposed to something intoxicating.


The rights to the characters of Smallville belong to its producers, the WB Network and DC Comics.  I own them not.             

Double Exposure

            As he approached the edge of the cornfield that surrounded Smallville High, Clark Kent slowed to a normal pace.  He'd chosen to skip the bus, hoping the run would clear his head.  All morning, he'd been trying to shake a sense of foreboding.  Perhaps it was just the start of sophomore year but he felt strange this morning, like something was about to happen.  He'd been up late the night before, restless and agitated even then.  Finally, Clark had fallen into a fitful sleep in the early morning hours but his dreams had been disturbing ones, remaining just beyond the realm of conscious memory when he awoke.  To top it off, he'd been floating next to his desk when he opened his eyes.  His computer chair was now a pile of kindling.  

            Then again, maybe it was guilt.  Repairs and chores had kept him busy for most of the summer and his promise to Chloe that he would visit her in Metropolis had gone unfulfilled.  He hadn't even e-mailed her.  Every time he'd sat down to send a message, he just didn't know what to say.  She hadn't followed through on her earlier threat not to speak to him if he abandoned her at the dance but communication had been virtually nonexistent nonetheless.  Still, he held out hope that they could somehow mend their fences.

            Clark walked through the school, surrounded by the bustling crowd of students.  Here and there he passed by small gaggles of incoming freshmen.  Had it really been a year since he was in their shoes?  He had been nervous and excited but secure, at least, in the knowledge that his closest friends, Pete and Chloe, would also be there to endure whatever happened.  And not a clue in the world that in a few short weeks his life would be irrevocably altered by the startling revelation that he was actually an alien from another planet.  _Never saw that coming._  Lost in thought, he was startled when Lana appeared in front of him, aiming a video camera in his face.

            "Hi, Clark!  I'm sending a video to Whitney.  Come on, say something for the camera."  She stood there, smiling expectantly and Clark started to mumble into the camera.  "Wait a minute, Clark," she looked down and adjusted something.  "Sorry, I'm having trouble with the sound; okay, now say something."

            Clark was terrible when he had to be spontaneous.  _That's why I'm such an awful liar._  He began again, embarrassed by his stumbling commentary, until Pete came by and offered to show him how it was done by quickly and easily taping a message of his own.  After promising to come by the Talon later to try again, he'd escaped and headed downstairs through the sweating throngs where he ran into Chloe.  Clark had been delighted to see her and he'd confessed his fear that she wouldn't return.  But she was distant and he'd felt her reticence when he hugged her.  A rift had opened up between them on that tumultuous spring night and he would have to work to close it. 

            He watched her walk away, confusion clouding his mind.  A moment later, he decided to spend his free period before biology in the Torch office.  Chloe would probably be there and maybe he could begin to make things right.  She could no doubt use the help in setting up for the first issue of the year, anyway.  As Clark made his way to the Torch he passed by the double doors that opened onto the lower parking lot.  He paused and stepped outside into the bright sunlight for a moment, staring up into the sky.  Everyone else may have been miserable and sweating like a pig in the scorching heat but rather than bother him, the sun actually made him feel better.  Today, in particular, he felt invigorated as he stood basking in the rays of the relentless late summer sun.  In fact, his restlessness was returning and he was beginning to feel the urge to go for a long run but he had to get through the school day first and the Torch was where he intended to start.  Reluctantly, he went back inside and headed down the hall.

            Clark saw Chloe disappear into the darkroom as he entered the outer office.  A moment later she emerged, hurrying over to the storeroom in the very back.  She was rooting around on an upper shelf and he heard a muffled curse as something fell.  He rushed over to see if he could help.

            Chloe turned and yelped when she ran into Clark's broad chest.  Startled, she lost her footing and Clark grabbed her to keep her from falling.  "I didn't hear you come in."

            "Sorry; didn't mean to scare you.  I have first period free; thought…maybe you could use some help getting set up."  He smiled hopefully, backing out of the closet and holding her arm to steady her as she stepped over the fallen box.

            "I was looking for a bottle of fresh developer.  Maybe you can take a look on the upper shelf."

            A quick glance told him there was none to be had but he stepped inside and made a show of looking around.  "Don't see any."  He turned back toward her, rubbing his hands together nervously.  "Thought you were an all digital girl, these days, anyway."  

            "Although I do love my digicam, I took some actual photographs this summer and I want to develop them myself, thank you.  Okay, you can come out of the closet, now."  She walked off toward the darkroom, sighing.  "I'll just have to make do.  There's enough for one roll and some prints but I wanted to do more than that." 

            She entered the darkroom, arranged the chemicals and equipment and went back to close the door.  Clark was standing in the doorway.  

            "Can I help?"

            "I think I can manage to develop film on my own, Clark."

            "Let me get the trays ready; you mix the developer and I'll get the fixer out.  I'll help when you make the prints."  He was silent for a moment, looking at her with those big eyes.  "Come on, Chlo.  You can tell me about your summer.  Surely, you did something noteworthy in Metropolis."

            She rolled her eyes.  "Okay, Clark, get in here.  There's really not that much to tell."  She reached up to turn on the red safe light.

            He pulled the door shut, locking it and went over to the sink to ready the various trays.  As he poured out the fixing solution he wondered about this mysterious intern she'd mentioned.  Apparently this guy had made quite an impression.  With a pang, _of jealousy,_ he realized, Clark wondered if the photographs were of him.

            "Well, how was it…being at the Planet and all.  Wasn't that exciting?  Who'd you work with?  Anyone famous?"  

            "I did meet the managing editor and I got to work with the city room staff a lot.  Sometimes it was just gopher stuff but I got to do research for some major projects.  And a few times I actually got to go out on breaking news stories.  Remember the big art theft at the Metropolis Museum in July?  I got to tag along with one of the reporters who investigated it.  He was really nice and I finally got to see what it's actually like out in the field."

            "So it wasn't just sharpening pencils and loading paper into copiers?"  Clark rinsed his hands and turned around.  He could see her smiling in the red tinged darkness.  

            "Okay, so it _was_ pretty exciting.  I'm really glad I got to go.  I just…missed…everyone."  Silence settled over them again as Chloe turned away and took the film reel out of the developing tank.  Clark reached up to switch off the red light, momentarily, while Chloe took out her exposed film and loaded it onto the reel.  When it was properly threaded and back in the closed tank, he switched the safe light back on.

When she turned and reached for the developer, Clark watched her intently.  Like almost every other girl in school, Chloe was wearing a skimpy summery blouse in an attempt to beat the sweltering heat.  Technically, strappy little tops were forbidden at Smallville High but with the air conditioning broken for the foreseeable future, the administration had so far turned a blind eye.  And suddenly, Clark found he couldn't turn his eyes away.  _Is it getting hot in here?_

Clark, who rarely noticed the effects of heat and cold, felt beads of sweat popping out on his forehead.  He swallowed hard as he watched Chloe pour the developer into the film container and start to agitate it.  She brushed against him in the dark as she reached up to set the timer and suddenly Clark was having some non-photo but very graphic thoughts involving Chloe in the darkroom.  He gasped out loud.

"You okay, Clark?"  

"Yeah," he breathed out, his voice a little high.  When she accidentally touched him again, he groaned and flinched.  _Definitely hot in here.__  And is Chloe wearing some kind of perfume?_  Clark tilted his head and sniffed.  _What is that?_

"Are you sure?  You sound weird."

"I'm…I'm…"

She put her hand on his cheek.  "You're really hot, Clark."

He groaned again and stumbled backward away from her touch, slamming into the edge of the sink.  He felt lightheaded and his eyes were starting to burn.  Clark shook his head and rubbed his eyes.  _What's wrong with me?_

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.  It's really stuffy in here."  She dumped the developer out and poured the fixer in, agitating the container again.  "I'll try to hurry."  She looked over at him and thought she saw two little points of faint luminescence.  "What's that?  There's something glowing!"  She dumped the solution from her canister, filled it with water and quickly washed her hands.  "Do you see that?  Is there a light leak in here?"

"Uuhhnngh…aaaahhhh."  He shook his head again.  

"That's cogent.  Oh, God, are you gonna yark?"

"My eyes are burning-"  He closed his eyes and rubbed them furiously.

"Hey!  Don't rub your eyes; you might have chemicals on your hands.  Here, let me."  Chloe grabbed a clean towel and held it under the faucet.   She leaned against him to wipe his eyes but he backed away.  

"No, no, don't…I-"

"Stand still!  Come back here-"  She moved toward him again and Clark stumbled around to the other side of the large metal table that took up the center of the room.  "Clark!  You need to flush your eyes out.  Now come here!"

Clark circled wide around the table and ran back to the side of the big metal sink.  He hit the handle and water shot out full force.  He twisted his body and shoved his whole head, face up, under the running water.  Steam actually billowed up from the sink.  _Aaahhh_…better.__

Chloe came close again and put her hand on his stomach.  "Clark!  Don't use hot water!  You'll burn your eyes-"  She leaned across his chest to adjust the faucet and Clark shivered.  "Hold still!  I'll hold you down if I have to!"

"Oh, God!"  He stood up and flung himself at the door.  "I gotta get outta here!  I need air!"  He wrenched the door open and was gone in an instant.

Chloe stared at the door, now hanging slightly askew on bent hinges.  She peered down at the door knob; deformed now, no longer round and smooth.  Just below it, the lock pin had been sheared off.  _What just happened?  She looked out but there was no sign of Clark._

Clark flashed down the hallway, hit the double doors and was several miles away in the middle of a cornfield when he came to a halt.  He bent over, resting his hands on his thighs and panting heavily.  _Friends, friends, friends, she just wants to be friends!  He kept repeating it like a personal mantra until he calmed down although he was still taking in huge gulps of air.  __What just happened?  Okay, besides that._

He made it back to school just in time for the start of second period biology.  At least all that high speed running had dried him off and the run had cooled him down; he felt more normal now.  Well, sorta normal, although he still had a weird feeling that something was up.  Clark heard Chloe call out from behind him, asking if he was okay.  He called back over his shoulder that he was fine and hurried to catch up with Pete.  Chloe passed him just as they got to the door of the biology room and he stepped back to let her go by.  His nostrils flared as he caught the scent again.  _What is that?_  He tried not to look at her; Chloe had made it clear she just wanted to be friends and his thoughts had been way beyond friendly when he'd been in the darkroom with her.  In fact, they'd been downright…_stop__ it!_  _Friends, friends, friends…_

As they came in he stole one more hasty glance in her direction then picked a seat in the first row, away from Chloe.  Pete sat down next to him and groaned when he saw the projector being wheeled up the center isle.  "Oh, great.  Every year, the incredibly aged Mrs. Kowalski kicks off biology class with an ancient sex ed film."

"Who told you that?  Your brother?"

Pete winced.  "My dad."

Clark looked back at him.  "I'm sure it can't be that bad."  He was still trying not to look in Chloe's direction.  _Friends, friends, friends…  Where is Mrs. Kowalski, anyway?_

***The last five lines of dialogue are taken directly from the episode, Heat.


End file.
